Excavating machinery



17,1935. L wHlTE EXCAVATING MACHINERY FiledApril '5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet1 INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEYS L. WHITE 2,024,557

EXCAVATING MACHINERY Filed April 3, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY QHIS ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 17, 1935 UNITED sires :PATNT OFi-iCEEXCAVATING MACHINERY Louis White, Wilmington, 111.

Application April 3, 1934, Serial N0. 718,837

3 Claims.

nection with the hoist line and anarrangement in which the pulltransmitted to the boom during the loading of a bucket is applied to theboom remote from its outer end.

A further object is to provide a machine in which the dipper may beeffectively controlled for loading purposes without the use of the usualdipper sticks, and in which the necessity'for boom-mounted motors isentirely elim nated.

Another object is to provide an arrangement in which an unlimited amountof power may be utilized for loading purposes in connection with a boomof relatively long reach.

A further object is to provide an excavating machine in which the bucketis loaded by an upward and outward movement with respect to the boom,and in which I attain the long spoiling range characterizing drag linedevices.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to behereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand specifically pointed out in the app-ended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation;Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a. part of the power mechanism;

Fig. l is a sectional elevation taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bucket illusirating its bails inconjunction with the drag, hoist and loading lines;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a boom embodying a plurality of loadline sheaves; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the line 7-1 of Fig. 6.

,In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of apower plant Ill mount-= ed for rotary movement upon a sup-porting truckin the usual way. This truck comprises in part caterpillar threads l2.One end of a boom i4 is pivotally connected at l6 with the power plant.This boom may be moved for changing its angularity with respect tothehorizontal through the medium of supporting cables I8. 7

In strip mining it is desirable to provide a boom having a relativelylong reach so that a large. spoiling range may be attained. Heretoforethe pull exerted on the boom during the loading of the dipper has beenapplied to the outer end 01 the boom, with the result that the effectiveleverage tending to tilt the power plant would materially limit thelength of the boom. Then, too, 10 conventional excavating machinesembody boommounted motors which increase in a large measure theeffective load, in addition to requiring a boom structure of heavydesign. The conventional dipper sticks add to the load. All thesefeatures combined make it impossible to design a boo-m embodying thenecessary strength in com bination with a relatively long reach such asthat characterizing the present invention. If the boom is designed toprovide the necessary strength, it becomes too heavy; and if, it isdesigned within certain limits as to weight, it lacks the necessarystrength. a

In the instant case the bucket is loaded by an upward and outwardmovement with respect to the boom through the medium of a load line 28connected with the bail 22 associated with a bucket 24. I arrange theline 29 to pass over a, supporting sheave 2B and in operative relationwith a guide sheave 23 arranged to hold the line out 3.0 of contact withthe frame structure of the boom when the dipper is moved outwardly alongthe boom. The supporting sheave 26 is positioned at a considerabledistance inwardly of the boom. This line is connected with an operatingdrum 3% 3- In Fig. 2 I illustrate the machine as moving over theexcavated surface 32 and operating against the bank 34 comprisingmaterial to be moved. Additional control for the bucket 24 comprises adrag line 36 connected with the bucket through the medium of a sheave 38carried by a bail 4i! pivotally connected with the bucket at 42. One endof the drag line is connected with a drum .44, and the other end isconnected with a drum 65.

The hoist line 48 passes around a sheave 50 carried by a bail 52attached to the bail part 54 through the medium of chains 58. This bail.is pivotally connected with the bucket at 42. One end of the hoist lineis connected with the outer end of the boom M, as at 58, and passes overa sheave 6D for connection with the drum 4%. Referringto Fig. 3, it willbe noted that the drum 46 is provided with a flange 62 arranged toseparate the convolutions of the hoist line 48 from the convolutions ofthe drag line 36. 55

In operation, the power plant is maintained at a proper operatingdistance from the bank 34. The bucket is loaded by giving the drag line36 the necessary slack and positioning the bucket at the bottom of thebank 34. At this time the loading line 20 is shortened through themedium of the drum 30 for pulling the open end of the bucket into thebank 34 upwardly and outwardly with respect to the outer end of the boomI4. The pull transmitted to the boom I4 during the loading of the bucketis determined by the position of the pulleys 26 and 28. In placing thepulleys close to the power plant with respect to the outer end of theboom I4, I shorten the lever tending to tilt the power plant.

The arrangement further permits the entire length of the loading cable20 between the bail 22 and the pulley 26 to assume a positionsubstantially paralleling the face of the bank 34. Thus, the boom I4 mayextend a considerable distance beyond the top of relatively high bankswithout interfering with the efilcient operation of the bucket. A slighttension may be placed in the hoist line 48 during the loading period tocontrol the angularity of the dipper 24. Thus I attain an effectivecontrol of the dipper without the use of dipper sticks and boom-mountedmotors.

After the bucket 24 has been loaded, it is moved through the medium ofthe hoist cable 48 and dumped. The pivotal connections 42 are positionedin such a manner that the loaded bucket tends to tip in the direction ofthe arrow 64 when the load line 20 is slackened. However, a slighttension is maintained on the load line during the shifting of the bucketto the end of the boom so that the bucket will carry in its uprightposition. After the bucket has been shifted to the end of the boom I4,it is emptied by slackening the line 20, at which time the bail 22swings back over the top of the bucket with the load line 20 passingover a roller 66 carried by the bail 54.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have indicated the transmission machinery foroperating the drums 38, 44 and 46. The drum 46 is carried by a shaft 61and is provided with a conventional clutch 68 and a large gear 10connected with the shaft and arranged in mesh with a gear 12 connectedwith a shaft I4 driven by a reversible motor I6. A gear 18 associatedwith the gear 10 is arranged in mesh with a large gear 80 connected witha shaft 8I and associated with a conventional clutch 82 for operatingthe drum 44. The shaft 8| is provided with a gear 84 upon its oppositeend in association with a larger gear 86. The gear 84 is arranged inmesh with a gear 88 connected with a shaft 89 for operating the drum 30.A conventional clutch 98 is associated with the gear 88 and the drum 36.

I illustrate a gear 92 upon the opposite end of the shaft 61 inconnection with a second clutch 94 for operating the drum 46 when theclutch 68 is inoperative. The meshing gears 86 and 92 are of differentratios than the gears 88 and I8 so that the drum 46 may be operated attwo different speeds, depending upon which clutch is used.

My arrangement is such that the drums 30 and 46 wind up the load line 20and the hoist line 48 at the same speed that the drum 46 unwinds thedrag cable 36. During the loading period the drum 44 is braked againstrotation but may be operated to tighten the drag line. This featureprovides additional control for the dipper in that it may be pulled awayfrom the bank 34, to permit swinging of the boom, should the dipperbecome loaded before it has moved to the top of the bank. However, thedrum 44 may be operated in either direction when the drums 30 and 46 areinactive. Similarly, the drums 30 and 46 may be individually operated inthe same way as the drum 44.

I provide rollers 96 for protecting the drag line 36 from being damagedby contact with the frame structure of the power plant.

Suitable brakes 98, I88 and I02 may be asso-, ciated with the drums 30,44 and 46, respectively.

The sheaves 38 and 50 may be of the padlock type to prevent the lines 36and 50 from falling off their respective sheaves during operation of themachinery.

Fig. 6 illustrates a boom I04 having a series of sheave units I06, I08,and H6 each including sheaves I I 2 and I I4 corresponding to thesheaves 26 and 23, respectively, in Fig. 2, to provide sheave mountingspositioned at different points along the boom with respect to the powerplant. Such a construction provides a large range of adjustment whichmay easily be made by merely associating the loading line with thedesired series.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain myinvention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adaptthe same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. An excavating device comprising a boom having an end movablyconnected with a supporting structure, a bucket, a load line connectedwith the loading end of the bucket, a rotatable member carried by theboom and positioned intermediate its ends for supporting the load line,the bucket being loaded by a movement outwardly of the boom, a hoistline connected with the bucket, a rotatable member carried by the boomat its free end for supporting the hoist line, and power means foroperating said load and hoist lines.

2. An excavating device comprising a boom having an end movablyconnected with a supporting structure, a bucket, a load line connectedwith the loading end of the bucket, a rotatable member carried by theboom and positioned intermediate its ends for supporting the load line,the bucket being loaded by a movement outwardly of the boom, a hoistline connected with the bucket, a rotatable member carried by the boomat its free end for supporting the hoist line, power means for operatingsaid load and hoist lines, a drag line connected with said bucket formoving the same inwardly of the boom, and power means for operating thedrag line.

3. An excavating device comprising a boom having an end movablyconnected with a supporting structure, a bucket, a load line connectedwith the loading end of the bucket, a plurality of rotatable memberscarried by the boom and positioned intermediate its ends forindividually supporting the load line at different points along theboom, the bucket being loaded by a movement outwardly of the boom, ahoist line connected with the bucket, a rotatable member carried by theboom at its free end for supporting the hoist line, and power means foroperating said load and hoist lines.

LOUIS WHITE.

